97    CREATIVE TRAINING CONCEPTS FOR INDUSTRIAL
WASTE PERSONNEL
Ronald F. Layton, Technical Director
Layton and Associates International, Inc.
San Antonio, Texas 78205
Minerva Flores, Manager
Monitoring & Testing Division
Frank Kiolbassa, Director
Department of Environmental Management
San Antonio, Texas 78205
INTRODUCTION
The Monitoring & Testing Division of the San Antonio Department of Environmental Management
has developed into one of the best industrial waste groups in the United States, has EPA approval and
has been audited four times by the EPA for its industrial waste pretreatment program. This group also
uses state-of-the-art laboratory equipment in an acceptable (EPA) fashion with a new laboratory
including approximately $1 million of sophisticated monitoring & testing equipment as a part of its
functions. The establishment of a well-motivated, highly competent and dedicated staff functioning
as a well-organized team has led to this success. Using innovative, career ladder, competency-based
training, this industrial monitoring group has developed a self-sufficiency that serves the citizens of
San Antonio well.
San Antonio, a city diverse in rich culture and proud tradition is alive with growth and progress. As
the 9th largest city in the United States, San Antonio offers myriad big city advantages while retaining
its small town charm.
From its famous Alamo, originally built in 1718 as a Spanish military garrison, its missions and
other historical features, to its modern convention, business and industrial complexes, San Antonio is
meeting the future face-to-face. Located some 140 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico and enjoying a
subtropical climate, the city is ideal for expansion. At the crossroads of numerous major interstates
and transportation conduits, San Antonio is host to 4 major military bases which assist in keeping the
city economy strong and vibrant, offering area residents a fine setting in which to live, work, and
grow.
Fourteen colleges and universities offer varied programs and degrees. Cultural and recreational
activities range from professional sports, museums, musical organizations and theatres, a variety of
family-oriented amusements located at the city's Brackenridge Park, the newly opened Sea World of
Texas, and very important historical facilities, including the Alamo.
San Antonio's prosperity and growth are primarily the result of one important item —her resources.
Clean air and water remain essential ingredients to a quality lifestyle. Water and its preservation as a
natural resource is truly the gift of life and is treasured and protected in this city.
San Antonio and its surrounding 5 counties receive water from the Edwards Aquifer, a natural
underground system of limestone that collects vast quantities of ground water. San Antonio uses over
150 million gallons of water daily from the Aquifer for agriculture, household, commercial and
industrial activities.
As the city has grown, its water use and waste production have increased dramatically. Urbanization and industrialization have led to new uses for water and additional waste disposal problems have
emerged. With some thirteen million tourists expected to visit San Antonio in 1989, requirements
grow for an everexpanding array of commercial, industrial and recreational water uses.
San Antonio's Department of Environmental Management plays a major role in preserving its
water quality, protecting the surrounding environment and anticipating water reuse needs for the
future. Three major wastewater treatment facilities collect and treat some 150 million gallons of
44th Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, © 1990 Lewis Publishers, Inc., Chelsea, Michigan 48118.
Printed in U.S.A.
867